The Nightly Battle
by madamjenna
Summary: Defeating Zarkon is nothing next to trying to get his fellow paladins to sleep.
1. Pidge

**The Nightly Battle**

 _Part One_ : Pidge

Note: Based on a tumblr prompt "Headcanon that after everyone goes to sleep or back to their rooms, Shiro checks in on his crew to say goodnight and make sure they're all where they should be."

* * *

"Pidge? Pidge?"

"Mm?"

It was just after midnight one weekday evening. She couldn't place what day it was exactly as none of the paladins could seem to make heads or tails of the Altean calendar, but tomorrow was a day of practice so she thought of it as a week day nonetheless.

"Are you awake?"

Pidge opened her eyes at Shiro's familiar call, a small grin playing on the edge of her lips. It was time for another round of her favorite game.

She fumbled for the lamp on her bedside, but gave up shortly when she couldn't locate the switch.

"Yeah, just come in. I can't find the light."

He entered her code and stepped into the room, hands on hips. He'd been in her room countless times before so finding the switch was easy for him, even in the dark.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Am I ever?"

"One…two…" He pushed up on the switch and the room was quickly bathed in a bright, yellow light.

Pidge hissed, pulling the covers over her head and burying her face in her pillow, "Shiroooo." All part of her act.

"I'll be quick, I promise," the elder paladin chuckled as he did a quick once over around the room. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he allowed his shoulders to droop in faux defeat.

Pidge narrowed her eyebrows, she would not be easily fooled by his fake out.

"Now," he said, "It doesn't seem like you're pulling my leg, but I'm smarter than you might think, Pidge…" He stalked over to bed, gently tugging at her blankets, pressing his hands on any of the bumps in her bedding.

"Hm, strange," he commented. He moved his fingers on to her, playfully tickling her chin. She reeled back, pulling her sheet up to her chin in a defensive motion.

"Shiro stoooop," the female paladin groaned as she tried to bat away his curious fingers with her free hand, "I'm not a child, you know!"

"Doesn't feel like you have any tech under there," Shiro replied, continuing as if he hadn't heard her reply and couldn't feel her small hands slapping at his wrists. "I mean it would be a shame for me to find some project of yours when Allura and I have strictly forbid you from working on any experiments at bedtime."

"Yeah, a _real_ shame…"

It'd become a nightly ritual. Shiro would come into her room under the façade of wishing her goodnight, only to pick through her things in hopes of discovering her treachery. Screws, tools, anything for construction of equipment was game.

 _Just you try, old man._ She thought with a sly grin. _I'm ready for you._

Chucking as he kneeled at her bedside, Shiro said, "Because you know last time you were up late working, you fell asleep during practice and we had to run extra drills until our legs ached, remember that? Remember when you were hurting so bad, I had to carry you up the stairs and back into the castle?"

"Shiro," she warned, embarrassed by the memory of her weak form and how she'd practically begged the elder paladin to help her up the stairs.

"But, it seems as if you've learned you lesson…" he trailed off.

For a moment he looked like he might believe her, and then, as she felt her body relax, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, right on her hairline. God she hated when he did that! It felt like her whole body went to jelly whenever he was intimate with her. It was embarrassing and he knew what it did to her which bothered her even more. She felt her cheeks grow hot despite herself.

"Give them to me," he whispered in her ear.

"There's nothing here."

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" He didn't even try to hide the suspicion in his voice.

 _He knows me so well_ , the green paladin thought sourly, as she watched him pace the length of her room again. _It used to be so easy to pull one over on him._

"Pidge?"

His called pulled her from her thoughts. With a defeated sigh and a snap of her fingers her closet door burst open and Rover 2.0 in all its metal glory stumbled out, weaving side to side as it struggled to keep itself afloat.

"You almost had me there," Shiro smirked as he plucked Rover from the air, "I almost thought you'd actually been sleeping before I so rudely awoke you. I actually felt a little guilty." He contorted his face into one of guilt and puppy-dog eyes. God she hated him sometimes. He was too good.

With Rover nestled beneath his metal arm, he turned to look at her, "Now where's the tools?"

"Under my bed," she answered with a pout and crossed arms, not even bothering to fight the inevitable. Though she hated to admit, she knew when she'd been beat. Further lies would just lead to harsher workouts in the future and that was enough to make her surrender… for tonight at least.

"Good girl," he teased, kissing her forehead again as he knelt down to pull the wrenches, screwdrivers, and other equipment from beneath her bed.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," she spat bitterly as she turned away from him. "You win."

He chuckled once more as he stood and turned toward her door. As he flipped the lights back off he bid her goodnight.

Once the doors had closed and Shiro was safely out of side, Pidge pulled her spiral-bound notebook from beneath her pillow and a pen. Using the moonlight in her open window as a light, she opened the book and quickly crossed out the word " _closet_ ," which she'd written on one of the pages. She scrolled through the list after it, landing on the next idea, " _parts hidden_ _in shoes."_

"Game on," she smirked, circling the new idea with a gleeful expression.


	2. Keith

**The Nightly Battle**

 _Part Two_ : Keith

* * *

Stopping off quickly to put Pidge's contraband in his own room, Shiro allowed himself a victory fist pump. Beating Pidge at her own game was always a satisfying accomplishment. He knew the green paladin wasn't truly angry, just frustrated at having been beaten. Had she actually been upset, he would've stuck around to soothe her a little more. Still, despite the heated tension with each game, Shiro enjoyed the time he spent playing with Pidge.

Sometimes he couldn't help but think of how young his fellow paladins truly were. If playing some deranged game of hide and seek sated Pidge's childish needs, then Shiro was happy to help in any way he could. Humming to himself, he made sure to lock his bedroom door behind him in case of any prying, tech-handy paladins nearby.

* * *

Having heard Pidge's frustrated cries through the paper-thin walls of the barrack, Keith knew he was next. Unlike Pidge, Keith didn't have any mind games to play with the captain, instead Keith and Lance basically had an ongoing bet to see who could make Shiro the most flustered. The rules were straightforward and simple: get Shiro bothered at whatever cost necessary. The game was stupid and Keith knew that, but he never backed down from a challenge, especially one issued by Lance.

They'd only started their game recently, but Lance was ahead by four wins to Keith's two and that just wouldn't do.

When Shiro opened his door and stepped into his room, Keith was ready.

"How are you doing?" Shiro asked a big, goofy smile on his face. Despite being a strict leader, Shiro was incredibly awkward when it came to regular conversation. Keith suspected it was a result of the time in solitude on Zakron's ship heightening his struggle with social interactions.

"Fine," Keith replied returning his grin. The younger pilot motioned to the books stacked beside his bed, "Just doing some light reading."

Shiro selected one of the books and thumbed through it.

"This is in Altean," Shiro mused as he flipped a page, "I can't make head or tail of these symbols…" He trailed off, turning the book upside in hopes of deciphering the ancient language. "Is Allura helping you?"

"A bit," Keith admitted, pulling a thin sheet of white paper from beneath the stack, his free hand steadying the tower of books. "She wrote down some basic translations for me, but other than that I'm on my own."

"Impressive," Shiro replied, his comment genuine. He pointed out small pencil notes in the page's margin. "You?"

Keith nodded, unable to hide his pride, "Yeah, I'm think I'm starting to really get it." With Shiro's attention with averted the words he'd written, Keith readied his plan for the evening. Surely tonight could end in a victory for the red paladin!

"I'm always surprised by how intelligent you are," Shiro said as he replaced the book back onto the top the tower, "Translating texts…piloting ability…"

"Gee, thanks _Dad_."

Shiro paused, turning to look at the younger boy.

"What did you just say?"

Keith smirked, "Sorry, do you prefer ' _Dadd_ y'?"

An embarrassed groan. "God you and Lance and your pissing contests..." Despite his vulgar language, Shiro didn't seem bothered at all. "I know what you two are trying to do…I've been trapped by Zarkon, humiliated… tortured… don't think you can break me so easily…"

Though Shiro said the words with a pleasant demur, Keith felt a heavy sense of guilt in the pit of stomach.

"What did you say?" he whispered. He pictured Shiro beaten, bruised and starving in Zarkon's ship. His captain's trapped, begging for food and water, dying slowly and painfully.

 _How can he smile after going through all that?_

It was like someone had pressed paused in the middle of a movie. Keith struggled to replay Shiro's words in his head. Unable to make sense of Shiro's good nature, Keith forgot his game instantly. With a sigh he caught the black paladin's eye and motioned him closer.

"Hm? What was that Keith?" Shiro chuckled as he moved closer.

Cheeks burning, Keith shook his head and looked away. Throwing away his bed sheets, he leapt the short distance toward Shiro. He wrapped his arms around the elder man's waist, squeezed him, released him and pulled away The embrace was over so quickly that Shiro didn't have time to take in what had just happened.

"Keith…wha…?" Shiro began but Keith interrupted him. His tone was soft as he said, "I'm sorry about Zarkon."

"Keith," Shiro's tone turned soothing parental. Keith wanted to moan, he hated when Shiro talked down to him like he was some sort of sobbing child. "

I didn't say that to make you feel guilty."

"Just accept the apology, stupid," Keith spat, his attention focused anywhere but on Shiro's kind, almond eyes. "You shouldn't have had to go through that…"

"Keith." Shiro placed one of his hands on Keith's head and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately, "Keith, its okay."

"Shiro?" Keith stubbornly fought back the urge to cry. What's wrong with me…I don't…

It had to be Shiro, it had to be the idea that this big, dopey man with so much patience and love…that this man had to go through so much in such a short period of time…

"Goodnight kid," Shiro said, his voice pulling Keith from his thoughts. Shiro stood and readied himself to leave, "I have to go check on the rest of the paladins. Practice is early okay? Get some sleep and don't stay up so late reading."

"Yeah, sure Dad."

Shiro rolled his eyes, "You know how grouchy you are when you're tired."

"Oh my god," Keith groaned. As he watched Shiro's retreating form, he felt himself grow even warmer as his mind wandered to thoughts of Shiro's large, calloused hand working its way through his hair. "I'm nineteen, man!"

"I know."


	3. Lance

**The Nightly Battle**

 _Part Three_ : Lance

* * *

"Alright," Shiro muttered as Keith's door closed behind him, "Two down, two more to go."

He took to the hallway again, pausing as he came across Lance's door. He knocked once and then when he received no response, twice more. Silence.

With a shrug, he typed out Lance's code and stepped into the messy space that Lance referred to as his "man cave."

"Christ," Shiro breathed as he took in the sight before him. The room looked as though a tornado had passed through it. Boxers littered the floor and shirts were thrown across the bed in abandon. Socks without partners were balled up by the doorway, almost tripping the elder paladin as he stepped further into the war zone.

"I'm going to kill him," he sighed with a shake of his head as he reached out to paw at Lance's bed sheets. Multiple bumps in his duvet revealed to be even more discarded clothing, undershirts, sweaters, shorts…but no sign of the blue paladin.

Shiro rolled his eyes. _Damn it Lance._

Shiro didn't know why he was surprised at the younger's absence. Honestly it would've been strange to find Lance in his room. He was never present at bedtime despite Shiro's constant scolding.

Placing his hands on his hips with a moan of annoyance, Shiro surveyed the room once more before turning on his heels and exiting. _He better not be doing what I think he's doing…_

* * *

The dining room was dark and empty save the glow of the two candles Lance had placed on the table. Between the two candles sat a laptop. On screen a small pixelated hourglass turned over and over as the computer struggled to connect to the galaxy's Wi-Fi.

 _Even in outer space the load time sucks…_ Lance joked as he lit another candle. The glow was bright enough for him to see the screen but darker enough to not attract too much suspicion from anyone wandering the halls.

Pidge had been the one to create the connection. Through various trial and error, she'd hooked up an old computer to the line that Allura used for the Castle of Lions. The laptop was supposed to be used only for calls to Earth in hopes of quelling the homesickness of the younger paladins, but Lance had quickly exploited the connection.

The first time it had been for shits and giggles. Hunk had bet him a week's dessert that he couldn't find any porn. Lance, who secretly prided himself on his ability to hack through the Garrison's anti-inappropriate content firewalls, had taken the bet with the seriousness of a man sure he could do the impossible.

When Shiro had heard of Lance's victory through a sniveling Hunk (the lack of dessert had broken him easily), Shiro had tried to confiscate the computer... this lasted for about a day. Pidge's constant prodding and Keith's insistent nagging finally drove him insane and he returned the laptop, forbidding Lance from using it without his permission or another's supervision.

 _"If you're going to act like a child, you'll be treated like one."_ Isn't that what he'd said?

Lance snorted. His bet with Keith had kept him entertained for a while because _god_ were Shiro's feathers easy to ruffle, but a boy had needs that couldn't satisfied by the irritation of others alone…

"What Shiro doesn't know won't hurt him," the blue paladin reasoned, turning back to focus on the screen before him.

 _Ping!_ The hourglass instantly disappeared, replaced by a small icon that resembled a camera. Eagerly, Lance clicked on the familiar symbol.

"Aw yeah baby."

Slowly the picture loaded revealing a beautiful young alien with two heads equally as pretty, clad only in a lacy bra and matching thong. Apart from the extra head on her shoulder the alien looked almost human. Her skin was of no unusual color and her body (again, save the head) had no strange or extra appendages.

"Hey," the heads chorused in a bored tone.

"Why, _hello there_ ," Lance purred in response, not at all perturbed by their annoyed expression. "Not to worry ladies, I've got it right here."

And with that, he pulled a small card from his pocket. Like the laptop, it was supposed to be used sparingly but Lance had never understood the concept of moderation. He flashed the credit card toward the camera and watched as the girl's expressions grew excited.

"Perfect," the girl replied, "Now just enter the numbers on your keypad and we can begin. Don't forget the security code."

"Of course," Lance grinned, "Don't worry ladies, you're not dealing with an amateur. I'm well versed in pornography." The last word rolled off his tongue in what he hoped was a sultry tone.

"...Lance."

"Just a minute baby, I'm almost done," Lance said as he flipped the card over and studied the numbers.

"Lance!"

It was then that the familiar tone registered. This voice wasn't slow and inviting, not this voice was deep and disappointed.

 _Shit._ He'd been caught red-handed. _How is he so quiet with that huge body of his?_

"Lance, I know you can hear me."

 _He's got me._

" _Oh!_ Heyyy Shiro," Lance replied, swiveling quickly in his chair, his tone pleasant despite his anxious thoughts. He stood quickly, using his body to block the screen behind him, "Fancy meeting you here."

"I know, what a funny coincidence." Shiro's retorted, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. The message was clear. There would be no fibbing his way out tonight.

"I know, I know," Lance snorted, holding up his hands in mock defeat, "It's waaay past my bedtime, isn't it, daddy?"

Lance looked up at the older man expecting a smirk or reddened cheeks, but there was nothing. It was like he was staring into a stone wall.

"Um," Lance stalled as he mentally fumbled through his usual material. He knew he had something that would break Shiro's enraged demeanor, but nothing came to mind. _Damnit! Guess Keith wins tonight,_ he thought sourly.

"We'll deal with this tomorrow," Shiro said, "But for now, time for bed. Hand it over."

With a dejected expression, Lance turned and grabbed the laptop.

" _Now_ , Lance."

"Fine," Lance huffed as he passed the computer to the elder paladin. The girl on screen watched, an amused smile on either face.

"Say goodnight to your girlfriend."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Fuck you."

Shiro's frown broke and he chuckled as he snapped the laptop closed. Slipping the tech snuggly beneath his arm, Shiro placed a hand on Lance's shoulder and steered him out of the living area. With a soft pat on the shoulder, he gently pushed Lance in the hallway.

"Bed," he commanded, his tone stern despite his smirk. "I'll take care of the candles."

Mumbling expletives under his breath, Lance stomped off, leaving a bemused Shiro snorting back his laughter.

"God, if this what it's like to have kids," the elder paladin mused as Lance's door shut with an angry _thunk_ , "I'm not sure if I ever want to be a father."


	4. Hunk

**The Nightly Battle**

 _Part Four:_ Hunk

* * *

"And there we are."

With one last burst of air, the final candle went out, casting the black paladin into darkness. With a yawn, Shiro turned and leaned against the dining table, readying himself for his final obstacle of the night.

Hunk was not subtle. He worked well with routine and Shiro had found this to be for the best. Though the antics of his fellow paladins changed slightly with each night, they all followed a core ideal. There was Pidge and her technology, Keith with his books (and the pissing contest with Lance), Lance and his sexual activities (which at times replaced the pissing contest for the night as many of these activities tended to include Keith), and then finally there was Hunk. Hunk was by the far the easiest to combat, the tutorial boss as Pidge had put it one night while Shiro had been tucking her into bed. Hunk's antics revolved around food and were quick to end with just one disapproving look from Shiro.

Pressing a button on the side of his watch, the screen glowed for a moment, flashing the current time: _1:38 am_.

"Showtime," Shiro grinned, his smile almost catlike in the light from his watch. Even now, Shiro could hear Hunk's heavy footsteps as he moved through the hallway. Then, almost instantly, the room brightened slightly as Hunk entered, flashlight in hand. Shiro watched as the paladin slowly wandered around the room, opening cabinets and fridges with careless abandon. With his eyes half-closed he mumbled beneath his breath. His words were jumbled and strange as though he were only making noises to amuse himself.

"Sleepwalking?" Shiro mused aloud as he crouched behind the table in hopes of shielding himself from the glare of the flashlight. Usually Hunk was quick. He'd stumble in, pull out a few plates and leftovers and eat. Sometimes Shiro let him finish and leave on his own, but other's he'd interrupt for the hell of it and watch Hunk's expression turn bashful, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs like some dog caught digging through the garbage.

Tonight was different through. Hunk looked completed out of it, like he was in some sort of trance. Shiro stood and approached the boy cautiously as he took out pans from the cabinets and began to tuck them, one after the other, beneath his arm. How was one supposed to wake a sleepwalker?

With a tentative finger, Shiro reached out and poked his friend in the side. Hunk startled instantly and the pans crashed to the floor, jarring them both.

"Huh! What?" Hunk sputtered, his eyes flying open.

"Hunk! What're you doing?" Shiro asked, his voice a high whisper. Internally he prayed that none of his fellow paladins nor the princess and her adviser for that matter, had heard the noise.

Hunk shook his head. "Wait, where am I?"

"The kitchen." Hearing no other noise or angry screams from the Castle, Shiro allowed himself a very manly giggle. He shook his, "Only you, Hunk..."

Yep, only me. Silly old, stupid Hunk..."

Hunk blinked, but did not return Shiro's smile. In fact, the sight of Shiro's laughter seemed to infuriate him. The larger boy took in the scene before him, the pans on the floor, the open cabinets and glare of his flashlight. It'd happened again. He'd fucked up.

Hunk's voice was eerily calm as he muttered, "Is this all I am? A joke to you all?"

The black paladin balked instantly.

"What?"

He turned, catching Hunk's expression before the latter could hide it. Hunk's eyes were wide, his usual smile gone, replaced by a beaten frown.

"Hunk, I don't understand."

Hunk gave a big sigh, his chest heaving, "Do you ever feel like you're not good enough? That no matter what you do, you're always on the bottom? Always the one to mess up?"

"Hunk," Shiro reached out and placed his hand on the boy's trembling shoulder, "If there's something bothering you…if you feel underappreciated or taken advantage of or just…not good, I want you tell me what's wrong so we can fix it."

Hunk pulled away, but kept Shiro's eye.

"Look, Shay gave me some of this root they have back on her planet. It's supposed to be calming, but I guess it works differently on humans."

"Okay," Shiro encouraged, his tone betraying his slight suspicion.

"She knew I had these feelings of insecurity…that I felt like I wasn't good enough for Voltron…she said it was supposed to make me feel better, more comfortable with myself or something."

"And does it do that?"

"Yes and to. The tea makes me feel weird. Tired, but not ready to sleep. I feel like I'm somewhere else…like on a strange plane of existence. It made me feel powerful…important…"

Shiro nodded, pushing him to continue.

"Everyone's got their thing," Hunk continued, growing more and more visibly uncomfortable as he spoke, "Pidge is the tech head, Lance is the funny guy, Keith's strong and mysterious and you…" He turned to look at Shiro. "…You're the captain with this fantastic backstory. When you speak we listen, you know?"

Shiro chuckled despite himself and Hunk gave a half-hearted smile in response.

"And what about you, Hunk?"

"That's just it. What am I? The fat friend? The butt of the joke? The big-hearted big guy? What's my trope and how does it help Voltron? _Does_ it help Voltron?" He held up a large hand as Shiro's mouth opened, ready to retort.

"No it doesn't. Shiro, honestly, if something happened to me would it really matter? You could easily find someone else to pilot the Yellow Lion. You couldn't do that with the Black Lion, or the Red. You couldn't replace Pidge or Lance...there's no one who could fill their shoes like they do…" He trailed off, sighing, "But me? Easy. There's nothing that makes me stand out like the rest of you do."

"So the tea?" Shiro asked, unable to think of a way to comfort his friend.

"It gives me this weird feeling of warmth and empowerment, like I'm strong and courageous and all the thing you are." Hunk paused almost instantly, his face blushing bright red. He swallowed hard, taking in the sight of his superior, watching with eyes as wide as saucers as a look of complete bewilderment appeared of Shiro's face.

"How long have you be feeling this way?"

"A while."

"And how long have you been drinking this tea?"

"A few days. Shay and Allura were able to their magic-y thingy and pass it along some weird telepathic magic or whatever. I communicate with Shay through Allura, it's weird, I know. But Allura gave it to me and said it was from Shay. I opened it and it came with a note that explained what it was and how to brew it."

"You shouldn't rely on a substance to make you feel better. Even if the side effects are minuscule."

Hunk hung his head, "I know. I do, it's just... I was feeling so sad and…"

Shiro wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder and gave him a squeeze, "What you feel is what you feel. You don't have to hide your negative emotions or defend them. We may be Voltron's paladins, but that doesn't make us superheroes. We all have fears and weaknesses and you're allowed to feel bad. We aren't immune to self-doubt and self-hate. How we handle our struggles is how we grow."

"But I –"

"This isn't a lecture Hunk and I'm not going to sit here with you and tell you all your good qualities, because I know that no matter what I say it won't change how you feel about yourself."

Hunk nodded.

"That doesn't mean I won't praise you for a good job done," Shiro continued, "But other people's opinions don't matter in the long run. You decide if you're important. You decide if you're courageous and strong and good."

Hunk gave a mumble of agreement, "I suppose."

"And I'll always be here for you, "Shiro continued as he led the boy back toward the hallway. "We can discuss more in the morning if need be, but for now I think you should sleep."

"I agree." Hunk stifled a yawn, suddenly aware of the time and the feeling of exhaustion creeping through his body.

"And no more weird root-tea for now, promise?" Shiro held out his hand and Hunk took it.

They shook.

"Promise."


	5. Shiro

**The Nightly Battle**

 _Epilogue: Shiro_

* * *

 _Time: 6am_

 _Location: The Castle of Lions_

 _Shiro hadn't been lying about that extra practice. After making sure the four younger paladins had retired for the night, Shiro had slipped a reminder beneath each of their doors that there would be an early morning practice._

 _The following morning Keith, Hunk, Lance, and Pidge gathered in the usual room and readied themselves for the heavy practice that was sure to ensue._

 _However five minutes passed, then ten, then thirty, and so on…_

 _With bated breath the four well-rested paladins waited, but Shiro was nowhere to be found…_

* * *

"Alright, where is he?"

Lance, Hunk, and Keith raised their heads to take in Pidge in all her splendor. The smallest paladin stood before the group, hands on hips and chin high. " _Where_ ," she repeated, stressing the word for emphasis, "is Shiro?"

"It's already 7," replied Keith. "He's never late for training."

"And considering he called this early morning workout, you'd think he'd be here," Lance added. Pidge and Hunk nodded in response.

"And you know when _Lance_ beats you to practice you're in trouble."

"Hey!" Lance retorted with a frustrated snort, "Fuck you Keith."

"Fuck you Lance."

"No, fuck _you,_ Keith!"

"Boys! Boys!" Pidge clapped her hands for attention but Lance and Keith were already at it. The two pressed their cheeks up against one another, teeth bared and eyes narrowed like two junkyard dogs fighting over the last scrap of meat. She sighed at her lack of authority and groaned with annoyance at the absence of their leader. _If only Shiro were here, then those idiots would listen._

"It's not like him to be late," Hunk said, watching with mild amusement as Lance began gently prodding Keith's forehead with his usual shit-eating grin. "Is it possible somethings the matter?"

That shut them all up.

Keith, Lance, and Pidge paused mid action and turn to one another. Though no one said anything, it would easy to see that they all seemed to be wondering _Shiro? Trouble? In the Castle of Lions?_

"Nah, no way," Lance said after a moment of thinking. "This is Shiro we're talking about."

"Still," Keith argued, "I mean, I guess it's possible…"

"But," added Pidge, "Wouldn't Allura or Coran have contacted us? Wouldn't they've said something?"

Hunk snorted, "Guys, come on. Is it really that unlikely that Shiro overslept?"

The three turned instantly and looked at him with stern eyes, cocked heads and a look that said _Are you shitting me? Shiro? Late for_ training _?_ It was more likely the Black Lion had come alive in the night and swallowed the eldest paladin whole.

"Point taken," the yellow paladin replied, "Come on, let's go get him."

* * *

"This is _impossible_ ," the youngest and greenest paladin commented upon entering the bedroom of the lead paladin. "Absolutely _improbable_."

She glanced around the room, her eyes focusing on a sight she never before thought she would see. It was Shiro, curled up in blankets completely and utterly sound asleep. Not even Lance's moaning or Hunk's loud feet had seemed to awoken the slumbering black paladin.

"I can't believe you know Shiro's code," remarked Lance as he walked in behind her. He took in the sight of Shiro and clicked his tongue, "I can't even get the guy to tell me his favorite food let alone the six digit combo to his room."

"I get scared sometimes," Pidge replied as if this were obvious. As Lance gave her a look of surprise, she shrugged. "What? I've come to terms with it."

"He's surprisingly warm," added Keith, "and a cuddler."

"Shiro's like a big half-robotic teddy bear," continued Hunk, "You feel safe in those big ol' arms of his."

Lance looked at each of three and then back again, his mouth agape, "Okay do all three of you take turns spending the night with Shiro?"

The three nodded, "Pretty much."

Lance crossed his arms and huffed. "Well now I feel left out."

Keith snorted. "I'm sure he'd allow you in if you just asked."

Lance blushed and punched Keith's arm, "Shut up."

Ignoring them, Pidge quietly neared the lead paladin. Gently she prodded his cheek. Shiro snorted again and raised his robotic arm half-heartedly. His eyelids fluttered and he waved his hand at their air, probably hoping to bat off whatever had touched him.

"Wow, he's really out, huh?"

"Never thought we'd see the day."

Pidge put her hand to her chin and cocked her head, "Well maybe are game of "Find the robotics" was a little too much for him last night."

"He also came in and spoke with me."

"Yeah, and _yelled_ at me," Lance scoffed.

"What were you watching space porn again?"

Lance blushed deeper and Hunk snorted back a laugh.

"I mean, technically I never got to. I was trying to but then Shiro came in and …"

Keith held up his hands in fake surrender, "Please. _Please_ , we don't need to know the rest." He tipped his head toward Pidge, "There are children present."

Pidge ignored the jab and took another look at her leader. At a better glance Shiro definitely looked worse for wear. Beneath his eyes the skin was dark purple. He looked paler than usually and a little thinner. As Keith, Lance, and Hunk squabbled behind her, Pidge reached forward and pressed a hand to his cheek and forehead. She pulled back alarmed almost instantly. His skin was hot to the touch.

"G-guys? I think there's something wrong with Shiro."

The arguing stopped almost instantly. Sure the paladins squabbled sometimes. There were times where they fought and the screamed. Pidge could remember many a time she cried until her voice had gone hoarse. They were a family and family did that. Shiro was like the glue that held their dysfunctional little group together. He was calm, he was cool, and he was collected. If something upset the glue, even something as small as a little space flu, the rest of the team surely felt it.

"He does look a little sick, doesn't he?"

"Maybe we should get Allura?"

Pidge shook her head, "Bring her in later. I think what Shiro needs now is some rest."

"Yeah," Lance agreed, "That's true. The poor guys always taking care of, I guess he didn't have enough time to take care of himself."

The four of them were quiet for a moment as they reflected on Shiro's role in each of their lives. Pidge thought of their nightly game and the way Shiro always insisted on tucking her in and how he held her sometimes at night, sitting with her until she fell asleep. Hunk thought back to their conversation the past night. Shiro never made fun of his weight and he always offered to try his newest recipes. Keith and Lance were similar. Shiro always put up with their antics and bickering while at the same time ensuring them both they were great paladins and leader.

"Alright then," Keith said, "Let's do a little practice and then we'll eat. Hunk can you run it today?"

"You got it!"

Pidge watched with a smile as the three exited the room. With a promise that she would be there soon, she turned back toward the lead paladin and gently pulled the blankets back over his form. With a quick glance to make sure no one was looking, she pressed her lips to his cheeks.

"Feel better, Shiro," she whispered, before quickly darting out the door. Though she wouldn't go on to mention it to her fellow paladins, Pidge's heart felt full as she caught a quick peak of a small smile on the slumbering paladin's lips.

* * *

 **Fin.**


End file.
